Dear President Biden,

We, Filipino-Americans, strongly implore you not to attend the forthcoming inauguration of the incoming Philippine president scheduled on June 30, 2022, prior to the completion of investigations relating to massive electoral fraud.

In a Manifesto released just last May 18, we decried the undue haste with which you had congratulated the presumptive winner. We believe that this is premature and is preemptive of the ongoing verification of election results. We respectfully inform you and your office that the results reported by the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) raised many doubts for millions of Filipinos as there is evidence that the process had been anything but clean and fair. Some of the bases for these doubts are:

• Military personnel snatching ballot boxes, such as the case in Lumbatan, Lanao del Sur;

• Police Officers were tearing ballots where Leni Robredo’s name was shaded;

• Individuals who possessed multiple ballots were assigned to shade them in favor of Mr. Marcos Jr. and his slate; and

• Widespread vote-buying. On 15 May 2022, the COMELEC admitted that there was rampant vote-buying.  

• Vote-counting machines malfunctioned. On 9 May 2022, thousands of vote-counting machines malfunctioned and many voters were disenfranchised during the election day. There were also reports of electronic vote-rigging.
  

On 20 May 2022, Ms. Séverine De Laveleye, a Belgian parliamentarian, stated that the Philippine election on 9 May 2022 was not “not free and fair.” Ms. De Laveleye presented the interim report of the International Observer Mission (IOM) on the May 9 elections.

On 20 May 2022, Rodne Rodiño Galicha, a private citizen, posted photos and videos of election return documents dumped in a vacant lot in Amadeo, Cavite province. As a response, the COMELEC had asked F2 Logistics, the company it hired to provide services during the elections, to explain the materials found in the vacant lot. The top officials of F2 Logistics are donors to the 2016 election campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte, whose daughter is Mr. Marcos Jr. 's running mate.  

We demand an independent and speedy international investigation of these election irregularities. The COMELEC comprises commissioners appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte. Moreover, Senator Imee Marcos, Mr. Marcos Jr.’s sister, is the Chairperson of the Senate committee on electoral reforms. Hence, it is difficult to rely on these institutions to investigate the irregularities during the 2022 national elections.  

We can’t bow down to questionable electoral results, much less dance with dictators and criminals like Ferdinand Marcos Jr. whose father, on the record, plundered billions and killed thousands of innocent lives.

The United States Government should not legitimize Mr. Marcos Jr.'s fraudulent presumptive election. President Biden, we appeal to you and your office to not attend the inauguration of the presumptive president. It undermines the autonomy of Filipino voters, and it poses a serious threat to democracy. The fraudulent May 2022 election in the Philippines will further set back the country’s long-term democratic development, as well as the United States Government’s country, regional, and global foreign policy priorities.

We ask that you do not further embellish the presumptive winner's aura of impunity and invincibility by being physically present at the ceremonies.

Respectfully,